Injury Prevention Programs

bstreetsmart program

Over the past several years ITIM has been a major sponsor of the bstreetsmart program.

For the last nine years, Westmead Hospital has held bstreetsmart. This injury prevention program is open to students in years 10 to 12 in all government and non‐government high schools in NSW and the ACT. Over 17,000 students from 158 high schools attended in 2014.

The NSW statistics for 2013 for 17‐25 year olds, recorded 18,951 road traffic crashes of which 107 were fatalities and 7,899 were injured. Young drivers hold only 16% of licenses, but they are involved more than a third of road fatalities.Bstreetsmart provides students who are most at risk, a realistic look at the trauma caused by road crashes and gives them information and strategies in an attempt to reduce serious injuries and deaths.

Attendance at the bstreetsmart event grows every year which means more students and teachers are experiencing and learning about the impact of dangerous / distracted driving and the consequences for those directly and indirectly involved in a crash.

P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) Program

Liverpool hospital has partnered with ITIM to conduct the P.A.R.T.Y program for the South West Sydney LHD. The P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) Program was first established in Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, Canada in 1986.

The program is aimed at providing teenagers with information so that they will be able to recognise potential injury-producing situations, make prevention-orientated choices and adopt behaviours that minimise unnecessary risk.

The P.A.R.T.Y. Program is a one day program which allows students to see first-hand the consequences of risk- taking behaviours in everyday life.

Throughout the day students:

Hear from doctors, nurses, allied health staff and paramedics on the harsh reality of poor choices.

Spend time in interactive sessions in the emergency room, intensive care and rehabilitation units to understand how it feels to have a severe injury or disability.

Hear the story of a trauma patient recovering from their injuries on the trauma ward.

Meet with an injury survivor who shares their story on how their life has changed and what it is like to have a severe life changing disability.

So far the P.A.R.T.Y. program has been successfully implemented by staff at more than 100 sites around the world. In Australia these hospitals are: Royal North Shore Hospital (NSW), The Royal Perth Hospital (WA), Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (QLD), The Alfred (VIC) and The Royal Melbourne Hospital (VIC).

Since the commencement in April, Liverpool hospital has had a total of 8 schools and 242 students through the P.A.R.T.Y program.